Improvement in furnace-block presses



A. HALL.

Furnace Block Presses.

Patented March 18, 18 73.

witnwaes AM. Pfloro-umamru/c ca NYmsam/vsls mum UNITED STATES ALFREDHALL, OF PERTH 'AMBOY, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN FURNACE-BLOCK PRESSES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 136,913, dated March18, 1373.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, ALFRED HALL, of

Perth Amboy, in the county of Middlesex and State of New Jersey, haveinvented a new and Improved Furnace-Block Press, of which the followingis a specification:

Fire-clay blocks for lining smelting and other furnaces have to be made,as regards their form, for that special purpose, and to vary in formaccording to the size and taper of the furnace to be lined.

Hitherto it has been found necessary to havea mold for every variationin the taper, thus involving much expense and unnecessary labor.

My object in this invention is to vary the form of the block by means ofa single pair of adjustable plungers in a single mold, and to so arrangethe machine or press that the labor will be greatly diminished and theblocks be pressed in a more complete and workmanlike manner; and theinvention consists in adjustable plungers and changeable bearingpresser-knobs, and in the general construction and arrangement of partshereinafter more fully set forth and described.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 represents a plan view of thepress with the cap of the mold broken away. Fig. 2 is a verticallongitudinal section of Fig. 1 taken on the line as m. Fig. 3 is avertical crosssection of Fig. 1 taken on the line y 3 Similar letters ofreference indicate corresponding parts.

A is a rectangular-shaped horizontal frame of iron, upon which is theplatform B and mold G. This mold consists of end-plates and thecap-plate D, the thickness of the pressed block being governed by thedistance of the plate D from the platform. There are two plungers, E andF, which slide upon the platform to the mold from each end of the press.The plungers are attached to rack-bars G G, and are moved back and forthby means of pinions H H on the cross-shafts I I, and levers J J, whichlevers are fitted to one end of the shafts. The racks G G rest upon thebars K K between the guide-collars L Ii, (as see Fig. 3.)

In Fig.1 the plunger is represented as adjusted by means of a wedge, m.The other plunger may be made adjustable in the same manner so that whenthe block is pressed it will be narrower at one end than at the other.

N represents the removable presser-knobs, which are attached to thebacks of the plungers, and against which the power is applied to pressthe block; and since the angle of the plungers to their rack-barsrequires to be occasionally changed, the number or thickness of theknobs must be changed correspondingly on one side and the other of theplungers, so that the bars B may have a'firm bearin g-point under alladjustments. '0 is a block which has been previously molded andsufficiently dried, and laid upon the platform for pressing. P is aguide for governing the position of the block. The plunger E beingplaced about as seen in Fig. 1, the plunger F is moved up and the block0 is forced into the mold; but the block may be shoved into i the moldby hand, and then the plunger F is moved up to the block by means of thelever J. The block is now ready for pressing, and the toggle-jointpresses are brought into requisition. Q Q are the toggle-jointpressershafts; and It represents the presser-bars to bear against theknobs N. S represents slotted lugs on the shafts Q, to which thepresserbars R are attached by means of pins, thus forming toggle-joints,which are operated by turning the shafts with the levers '1. Each pairof resser-bars It is connected together by the cross-piece U, by whichthe presser bars are raised, as seen in Fig. 2.

The movement of the presserbars is slight, but powerful. The pressure isgiven at each edge of the block, and while the thickness is governed bythe depth of the mold the edges are made to conform to the position ofthe plungers. After the block is pressed it is shoved from the mold bymoving up the plun ger E, and is taken from the platform by hand, whenanother block is placed upon the platform, and the operation isrepeated.

The press is operated by two men-one to each pair of levers-who put onand take oif the blocks.

By this arrangement it will be seen that the pressing is effected bymechanical devices entirely independent of the ordinary movement of theplungers.

These devices may be varied in. construction but this system of pressingis an essential feature of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, in a brick machine, of changeable presser-knobs Nand wedges m, with the plungers, forthe purpose of adapting saidplungers to be adjusted at various angles to each other, as and for thepurpose set forth.

set forth.

ALFRED, HALL.

Witnesses: 'l. B.MosHER.

ALEX. F. ROBERTS.

